Home Made Hit Show Podcast: My First Podcast Airplay
Last week, I completely forgot to mention a milestone for GarageSpin: I received my first podcast airplay. Hopefully, now that I’ve finally settled on a band name (GarageSpin), and I’m finally trying to get heard, there will be more.
“20/20 Foresight” was included in the Home Made Hit Show podcast a week ago or so. Tony Buttersworth (I can’t help but wonder if that’s a stage name?) runs the weekly show, and talks about songwriting, production techniques, software and gear for DIY songwriters recording at home. Each show then features a few songs from said DIY musicians, which the hosts critique.
If you’re interested, you can listen to the podcast episode here: Episode mp3.
A couple notes:
- “20/20 Foresight” is at the very end of the podcast.
- Tony mentions that at first listen, he thought it was a pro studio recording. (Thanks for the compliment, Tony, but nope, it was a living room recording.)
- Tony and his co-host both complimented the string section, but incorrectly state that I had real friends play real instruments for it. The truth is, the cello you hear throughout the song is real, and played by me (requiring many, many takes, and much splicing). But the string section that appears at the end of the song I created in Reason 2.5 (violin, viola, and double bass).
Thanks again to the Home Made Hit Show for my first podcast airplay.
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Grab Your Custom Facebook URL, or “Facebook Username”
It’s Facebook-Username-Land-Grab time! As of 12:01 AM EDT, Saturday, June 13th, 2009, Facebook will allow anyone to create a “Facebook Username” for their existing user profile or Facebook Page. (Previously, only selected partners were given the ability to do so.) You should go out and grab your own Facebook Username, as soon as possible, if possible.
How To Get Your Facebook Username
Just go to Facebook.com/username (After 12:00 AM, on June 13, 2009), and follow the username creation instructions.
User Profiles will have to meet one requirement to enable Username creation:
- They must have been live on Facebook prior to 3:00 PM EDT, on May 31, 2009. (I’m guessing this will likely change at a later date to require that a user profile have existed for a certain minimum number of days. Be sure to register your “Coldplay Rules” user profile today.)
- UPDATE: This limitation is temporary. All users who joined Facebook after the cut-off will be eligible to claim usernames on Sunday, June 28, 2009.
Facebook Pages will have to meet two requirements to enable Username creation:
- They must have been live on Facebook prior to May 31, 2009. (Likewise, I’m guessing this will probably change at some point to a “minimum number of days in existance” requirement.)
- They must have a minimum 1,000 fans as of May 31, 2009. (Ouch. So much for getting www.facebook.com/garagespin with my sub-100 fan count.)
- UPDATE: This limitation is temporary. All Pages created after May 31, 2009 or that had less than 1,000 fans on that day will be eligible to claim usernames on Sunday, June 28, 2009.
Selecting a Facebook Username
Facebook Usernames won’t be able to be edited or changed, and are also non-transferable, so make sure yours is acceptable for the long term. Only one Username is allowed per Page and/or user profile. I.e. don’t do anything you’ll regret later.
Additional Facebook Username Info
- Facebook blog post explaining Usernames
- Username Frequently Asked Questions
- Form: Notice of Intellectual Property Infringement form (in case someone beats you to grabbing your own Username, or in case you want to protect a trademark you own)
- Username Creation Page for creating Facebook Usernames (you must be logged in to see it)
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Interview: Brian Hazard (Color Theory), Winner of John Lennon Songwriting Contest
If you were to list traits and skills of a DIY musician destined for success, what would be on your list? I might argue that strong lyrical and musical sensibility, audio technology mastery, and marketing prowess should be.
Which brings me to Brian Hazard, of the solo act Color Theory. A little background — Color Theory recently won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Electronic music category (and is about to go up against other category winners for the Song of the Year award). So clearly, Brian’s got serious songwriting skills. If you listen to his winning song, “If It’s My Time To Go”, you’ll immediately notice his musicianship and great vocal ability. He also happens to be an audio mastering engineer, running his own mastering studio at Resonance Mastering. Furthermore, Brian knows how to leverage online media to successfully promote his own music in a web 2.0 world, and shares his experiences at Passive Promotion. So check, check, and check.
Once I learned about Brian, I wanted to get to know him better — so I interviewed him. Check out the Q&A:
***
GARAGESPIN: So Brian. You (Color Theory) recently won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in April. That’s awesome. Tell us about the song, and the process that lead to the victory.
BRIAN (COLOR THEORY): The song was originally created in collaboration with my friend Caesar Filori of Wideband Network. I sent him three piano sketches to pick from, and he sent me back a rough demo of his choice. The dark and melancholy character of Caesar’s demo inspired my lyrics. I recorded vocals and he wrapped up the mix.
After a few months, it became clear that neither of us had time to do an album together, but I didn’t want the song to go to waste. He gave me the okay to create a new version of it for my latest album, The Thought Chapter. The original version that Caesar produced is featured on a follow-up EP entitled Second Thoughts.
As for the contest, that was kind of a fluke. I’ve submitted to song contests over the years and got a few honorable mentions, but overall felt they weren’t worth the effort. The deadline for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest came just after I finished the song and was feeling overly optimistic about its chances.
GARAGESPIN: Where do you get your song inspiration? What hits you first — lyrics, melody, a song title, a piano chord lick?
BRIAN: I usually start from a title. When one hits me, I’ll rough out some stream-of-consciousness prose to make sense of it. Next I’ll flesh out the song structure and melody. Then I’ll mold the useful bits of my garbled prose into a lyric. The production goodies come at the end - typically the hardest part for me. At that point, I just want it to be done. I can only spend so much time finessing automation envelopes.
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“Spinning Daydream” Remixed and Remastered
I recently remixed and remastered my song, Spinning Daydream, and am making the enhanced mp3 available for free download. If you downloaded the track in the past, PLEASE get the updated version — it sounds MUCH, MUCH better.
Over the last couple years, I’ve learned quite a lot about mixing and mastering audio. Not enough to claim any kind of expertise in either field (I still plan to have my first EP mastered professionally), but enough that enables me to vastly improve my home-brewed recordings.
In addition, Cakewalk added a few new plugins like Boost 11 and Vintage Channel 64 that specifically aid in adding finishing touches to tracks. (I’m still a novice using them, but they definitely help.)
So, I took the old song project, and made these changes:
- Fine tuned the EQ for each track of audio to further remove unnecessary low and high audio frequencies
- Added a bass guitar part back to the bridge (on some stereos, that section of the song was annoyingly lacking in bass)
- Re-applied electric guitar effects to the final chorus electric guitar (the latest version of Sonar “lost” an older plugin I had used for the electric effects…fortunately, the newer plugin actually improved over the old one)
- Applied Vintage Channel 64 plugin to “warm up” the track
- Applied Boost 11 to increase the overall volume of the track
- Shrunk the track’s timing by a few seconds
So, if you already have a copy of the song, PLEASE get the Spinning Daydream mp3. If you don’t, pick one up, and let me know what you think of the song. Ok, back to working on new songs…
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Sponsorshop: One Alternative to Getting Signed & The Dashing Suns
Winning label interest is still most bands’ dream, but many are looking for alternatives. What about sponsorship? Generally, advertisers look for big names in sports, hollywood and music to front their brands, but there are some rare, interesting opportunities for new bands with a unique sound.
Case and point, I was recently introduced to The Dashing Suns, a band that did just that with JanSport, the ‘backpack’ company. Since then, they recently rocked SXSW, produced a psychadelic music video (see below), and received this gushing praise from MTV:
”This seductively sunny little intersection of every band the ’60s and ’70s ever loved is really making my morning with its scratchy guitars, ooh-ahh Caramello vocals and vintage head cold production value.” (more)
Pretty sweet. (I would totally be willing to carry a fanny pack around with me if I could get my music funded.) I sent a couple questions about the sponsorship both to the band, as well as to JanSport. All the answers follow directly after the trippy “Van” music video below:
THE MUSIC VIDEO: “VAN”
A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR THE BAND:
GARAGESPIN: Quick history lesson — how and when did the The Dashing Suns form, and how much success had they had before the sponsorship?
KEVIN WALKER (from the band): The Dashing Suns formed during the winter of 2007. Only a year and a half ago. Matt and Jeff, the guitar guys in the band, had been hanging out and writing small little songs for the hell of it. One of their first songs was a Renaissance type song that dealt with dragons, castles, potions, and ren faire. Matt, David, and Myself were just ending our illustrious stint in a psychedelic country rock band called Sweetbriar. All of us were experiencing dark days from bad relationship break-ups and figured The Dashing Suns would be a better outlet than waking up in gutters. So we started playing and writing all of our songs about the complexities of the opposite sex. Before the sponsorship, The Dashing Suns just finished a small tour in New York as well as completing our first 5 song self titled E.P. Other than local Bay Area success we have not toured the country or world with hopes of gaining a wider audience.
GARAGESPIN: How did The Dashing Suns score the sponsorship? (Or, re-phrased, what selection process did JanSport go through to pick the band?)
KEVIN: So far we have only heard about the selection process through word of mouth. JanSport hired TEAK to create a brand video for them. TEAK compiled a list of bands and music to use in the video for JanSport to review. That list had some local Bay Area bands and other well known acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, MGMT. JanSport employees and the CEO heard our song “Future Thunder” and felt that it had the right sound. Which is funny because the original song was recorded in a crappy studio with a broken 8 track and lots of tape hiss. So they commissioned us to re- record the song.
GARAGESPIN: What advice would you give to bands hoping to find a sponsor for their next tour?
KEVIN: Hmmmm….. well… sometimes its a bit of luck, connections, and luck. And then its a bit of persistence, patience, and luck. To answer this question for real, I would say pick your sponsor and knock on their door for days and days. If that doesn’t work, try becoming really good friends with someone who works there and convince them that your music is the best in the world. If that doesn’t work there are professionals out there who you can pay to shop your music around to advertising agencies. Good Luck!
A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR JANSPORT:
GARAGESPIN: What inspired JanSport to take the approach it did with this particular sponsorship campaign?
JanSport: JanSport initiated our relationship with the Dashing Suns through the development of a brand video that would represent JanSport’s intersection with contemporary youth culture. We wanted to make a video that was fun, interesting to watch and above all connect JanSport to our audience through modes of self-expression, whether it be music, a roadtrip, grafitti art, etc. It’s an authentic representation of the Brand and where we live in our consumer’s lives.
GARAGESPIN: How has the sponsorship helped the band so far? How has it helped JanSport?
JanSport: The sponsorship has helped the band in many ways: [publicity/ and promotion] — they got sponsored by JanSport to tour from SF to Austin; [they]played ReadyMade Rocks showcase at SXSW (JanSport sponsored showcase); [and they received] visibility/promotion on Jansport.com. The Dashing Suns were also wrapped into our press outreach surrounding SXSW - and as a result, landed a very nice piece on MTV.
***
Thanks to all, especially The Dashing Sunds, for taking the time to share their experiences.
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Added Music to AmieStreet.com - Need Your Help
I recently uploaded my songs “Spinning Daydream” and “20/20 Foresight” to AmieStreet.com, a site that prices tracks based on demand.
What does that mean? Well, because my songs are new on the site, they start out free. As more music fans download the song, the songs’ prices will begin to incrementally increase. (I actually wrote about Amie Street two years ago…it’s a pretty cool site, with some great music that I’ve discovered over the last couple years while poking around.)
So, if you have yet to download a copy of either song above, head over to my Amie Street page fast to pick up copies before their prices sky rocket. :) Actually, even if you DO have a copy of both songs, please download them…I’d love to see their prices go up from $0.00 to $0.05. ;)
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New Song: “20/20 Foresight”
I finally finished recording a new song. And this isn’t just any song, mind you. “20/20 Foresight“, when accompanying a marriage proposal, leads to a response of “YES” 100% of the time.
Alright, so it’s only been tried once. By me. With my wife. But the math is pure and true. In any case, this song is the only song I’ve ever written for someone. (It’s also more acoustic than my typical stuff). I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do so unless it was for the girl I’d spend my life with. (My wife knew that, which made it all the more special when I whipped out my guitar on that special night.)
Listen & Download (Free)
Listen to it here, or click on “download” to get the FREE Mp3. (Just enter “$0″ as the price when asked how much you think it’s worth…I won’t be insulted.)
Share Your Thoughts
I’d love to know what you think of the track — please share in a comment below. And PLEASE feel free to share the mp3 with any friends, family, co-workers, penpals, pets, snuggie lovers, or meerkats you think might enjoy it. (Your kind words are gold to an unsigned artist like me.)
Other Stuff To Do
In case you’re interested, you can also:
- Sign up to the mailing list so you know when new songs are available
- Check out more GarageSpin music
- Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed, or MySpace
- Read the song lyrics
- See song feedback at Home Recording forum and Cakewalk forum
Thanks for listening. Three new songs are in the pipe…and one of which, I’ll be asking for YOUR help with. More soon on that…
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Kia Spectra Commercial Song: Music & Lyrics
The Kia Spectra commercial song has completely conquered me, running through my head whether I’m bummed or psyched. The car commercial is only 30 seconds long, there’s only one verse, and yet, I couldn’t help but wonder: what is the song played in the Kia commercial, and who sings it? (Answer: it’s called “Can’t Get It Right” by Joe Purdy from his album You Can Tell Georgia.)
A song like this reminds me of the beauty of simplicity. As well as the “hook” value of repetition. The song’s first verse (which is all that’s in the Kia commercial lyrics) does just that:
I just can’t seem to get it right today
I just can’t seem to get it right today
I just can’t seem to get it right today
I guess I’m gonna give up
Oooh, I guess I’m gonna give up
It’s a nice eye-opener, especially since I’ve been obsessing and over-thinking my two most recent songs, which I’m on the verge of releasing…several months late. (The song itself also echoes my exact feeling when I’m frustrated with a song…fortunately, it’s a cheerful echo.)
Kia commercial music choices have stood out in other commercials as well, such as with the Kia Soul and Kia Sportage, but nothing has taken off like this ditty. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here (or just listen to the full track at Last.fm):
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